Thread-feeding device for circular-knitting machines.



No. 818,908. PATENTED APR. 24, 1906.

B. I. O'NEILL & W. N. TAGGART.

THREAD FEEDING DEVICE FOR CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINES. APPLICATION FILEDAPR.29. 1904.

FIG. I

WITNESSES: INVENTORS:

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ELLIS I. ONEILL AND IVILLIAM N. TAGGART, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

THREAD-FEEDING DEVICE FOR CIRCULAR-KNITTING MACHINES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented April 24, 1906.

Application filed april 29, 1904. Serial No. 205,502.

To a whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, ELLIS I. ONEILL and WILLIAM N. TAGGART, ofPhiladelphia, in the State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain newand useful Improvements in T hread- Feeding Devices forCircular-Knitting Machines, of which the following is a specification,reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

Our invention relates to guiding and splicing mechanism by which themain thread may be continuously fed to the fabric and a supplemental orsplicing thread may be intermittently fed, together with the mainthread, and at certain times separated therefrom cleanly severed andwithheld from said fab me.

As hereinafter described, our invention comprises a threadguiding frameprovided with a channeled block through which both threads pass, saidblock being arranged to reciprocate to raise the splicing-thread intocontact with the main thread when required, so as to be carried alongtherewith by frictional engagement; a pair of shear-blades arranged toopen for the passage of said threads when the splicing-thread is beingfed and ar ranged to close and shear said splicing-thread when it is tobe withheld, and an oscillatory plate arranged to separate said threadsslightly in advance of the shearing operation to hold the main thread upout of the path of p the shear-blades when the splicing-thread is beingsheared.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure I is a side elevation of athread-guide and splicing device embodying our invention. Fig. II is avertical sectional view taken on the line II II in Figs. I and III. Fig.III is a vertical sectional view of a portion of the splicing mechanism.Fig. IV is a vertical sectional view taken on the line IV IV in Fig. I.Fig. V is a perspective view of the oscillatory separating-plate.

In said fi ures, 1 is a standard suitably mounted in She bed-plate 20f acircularknitting machine adjacent to the knitting-cylinders. Thethread-guiding frame 3, supported by said standard 1, extends radiallyto a position substantially central with respect to theknitting-cylinders and is provided at its end with the eye 4, throughwhich the main thread 5 and splicing-thread 6 are fed to the threadguideon the knitting-machine, which may be of any ordinary construction andis not shown. Said frame 3 comprises horizontallyextending arms 7 7,(best shown in Fig. IL) which are provided with eyes 8 8, either ofwhich may be used for the main thread 5, and intermediate of said eyes 88 is the eye 9 for the splicing-thread 6. The lug 10 on the frame 3 infront of said eye 9 is provided with thread-eyes 11 and 12,respectively, for the main thread 5 and the splicing-thread 6, centrallydisposed one above the other, as best shown in Fig. III. Adjacent to thethread-eye 4 said frame 3 is provided with an upwardly-extending lug 14,to which is pivotally supported a thread-guiding tube 15, through whichthe thread passes to the takeup lever 17. Said lever 17 is pivotedintermediate of its length to the lug 18 on the frame 3 and iscounterbalanced by the spiral spring 19, which extends from the upperend of said lever 17 to the collar 20, fixed on the standard 1.

The thread-guiding block interposed between the lug 10 and the lug 14,is provided with the longitudinal channel 23 (best shown in Figs. II andIII) and is supported for vertical reciprocation by the plunger 25,which extends through the frame 3 and is pivoted at its lower end to thelever 26, which latter is fulcrumed intermediate of its length to thelug 27, depending from the frame 3. The other end of said lever 26 isprovided with the slot 30, engaging the pin 32 on the collar 34,adjustably secured to the upper end of the reciprocatory sleeve 35 bytheset-screw 36. Said sleeve 35 is mounted for vertical reciprocation inalined brackets 37 and 38, secured to the standard 1, as shown in Figs.II and IV.

The lower end of the sleeve 35 carries the projecting arm 41, providedat its free end with the pin 42, engaging the slot 43 in the outer endof the lever 45, said lever being fixed at its opposite end on therock-shaft 50. Said rocl'-shaft 50 is journaled in the bracket 4.9 onthe machine bed-plate 2 and may be oscillated manually by the lever 51or auto matically by any part of the knitting-machine capable ofimparting suitable movement.

The thread-guiding channel-block 22 has the thread eye 24 extendingobliquely through its bottom wall from the channel 23, and directlybeneath said eye 24 the frame 3 bin, -Therefore weprovide a take-uplever 54, fulcrumedat 55 on the lug 27, as shown in F-jig; II-Iy-andhaving its slot 56 engaging thepin 57 ,extending from the plunger 25,"so that the downward movement of saidvplunger at the "end of eachsplicing operation clamps thethread '6'upon the pad 21' andsimultane-tpuslynpliftsthe'opposite end of'sai'd lever; 54,-which draws the'thread6inits eye'58:

- aboveastraight line between the thread-eye.-

Q 'and the thread-guidebarGO, under which latter the thread comersfromits bobbin, and thereby takes fup enough of said splicingthfeadg6fromits bobbin to freely engage the, mainthread 5 whenthelever54'retu'rns to; its lower position.

-Asb' estshowniii-Fig. II, the two shear-i jbladesfit-are mounted on thepivot 65 at the go forward end of-th'e block-22, so as to embrace thethreadf 6 extending throu ghthe channe 23 in said block, and areprovided with the -arms;-66, projecting belowthe overhanging end-s 67-of theeplates 70, which latter are sta' 5 --tio1rary' on opposite sidesof the frame 3, so aste Qp'en'saidshears when the block 2'2 rises.-Said"shears -are"closed-whenthe block 22 descends by' engag'ementoftheir arms-66 with the ridges-71 onthe frame 3, which latter is4orecessedat '72gas; shown in Figs. II and III, to receive the end ofthe block 22, carrying said -1=ihears. p r M As- -it isdesired-to-severonly the splicing- -thIread-6at -predeterminedintervals, it is nee5-essary to -then separate it fromthe main thread 5 and; for thispurpose "we provide a the arm'731, which-is 'conveninentl mounted :to"fioscillatepn the stud 7'4, carried-by the block 22, and has thenotched plate76at its 5 o free end extending transversely between thethreads ;5 and 6. Said- 11173 oscillates from thep o siti'onshown in-Fig l, where the thread ---noteh- 7-7in said plate '76-is lowermost,andthe ti1reads5and6gare separatedto the: position 55-shown inEigjIII,where the plate 76 is in the rear of the-block; 2 2 In thelastnamedposi- -ti o i ,-the gno-teh 7 Zbeing -uppermost and the .;bloek -22raised, i the l main 7 thread 5 passes thringh saidnotchend alongthe-bottom of 60 the channel 23 in engagement with the splicing=thread 6and both it pass forward as one thread' betweenthe open shears 64 intothe i i abrie. issue threadseparating plate 7 6 is3alternatelyoscillatedfromend' to end of'the 6 5 block 22 by geafingcomprising the pinion 8'0,

able that it maybe initially free from the; ;-u sual resistance ofunwinding fromits bob-- secured to the arm 73 and the sector 81, engagedtherewith and mounted for oscillation onthe pivot 82in the block 22.Said sector 81 is'provided with the crank-stud83, engaging the slot 84in the forward end of the arm 85, which latter-is supported and raisedand lowered by the rod 86. Said rod 86 is mounted to reciprocate in thesleeve '35, before described, and is provided near its lower end withthe pin 87, extending through the slot 88 in said sleeve, as shown inFig. IV. Said sleeve incloses the coiled spring 89,, which tends touplift the rod 86, but is normallyrestrained by the detent hook 90,pivoted to the'bed-plate 2 and normally engaged with saidpin '87 underpressure of'the spring 91.

(Shown in Fig.1) 2

The operation of our device is asfollows: The parts are normally in therelation illustrated in Fig. I, wherein the main thread 5 is beingcontinually fed'from it's'bobbin under the thread-guiding arm 60,through'the eyes '8 and 11 to the channel block 22, over theseparating-plate 76, through'the tube15 and eye '4: to the ordinarythread-guide'on'the "knitting-cylinder, and the splicing-thread 6 iextends from its bobbin under the thread-' guiding arm 60, through thethrea'd-eyes58, 9, 12, and 24 and thechannel '23, and is clamped betweenthe bottom of the'blo'ck 22 and the pad 2 1. "When it is desired toreinforce the fabricas, for instance, in'knitting the heel and toepockets of a stockingthe shaft A is rocked, and by the lever 45 and arm41 the sleeve 35 is depressed and byrocking the lever 26 uplifts theplunger 25 and channel- 'block 22 until the splicing th'readj 6, lyingwith 'thesecto'r 81, and swings the 'e'nd 'of'the take-uplever 54 down,so'as to'bring its thread-eye 58 m alinement with the-guidebar60 and eye"9"to 'slacken the "splicing- .thread :6, so thatit maybefreely carriedalong with the main thread -5. When it is desired to terminate feedingthesplicingthread 6, the detent-hook is, pressed back to release the pin87 and permit the-spring 89 to uplift the rod 86 the sleeve '35. The

upward movement of said'r'od 8'6 with its arm 85 oscillates the sector'81, and thepinion' 80 meshes therewith, which os'c'illates'theseparatingeplate 76 from the rear tothe'front of the channelblock22while saidblo'ck is still raised, and thereby se 'arates' thet'hrea'ds 5 -and.6. Said plate 76' eing'theni n'thefpositi on shown inFig. V, the main threads passes over the straightupper edgethereofiwhflethe 'block 22 by the engagement of thepinion 80 splicing-thread 6 passesthrough the inverted notch 77. Thereupon the shaft 50 being again rockedto uplift the sleeve 35, the lever 26 is thereby rocked to lower theblock 22 with its plunger 25 to close the shear-blades 64, and thuscleanly sever the splicing-thread 6, passing therethrough. Contemporaneously said splicing-thread 6 is clamped be tween the block 22 and thepad 21, and the take-up lever 54 is raised to the position shown in Fig.I, so that the device is again arranged for knitting the main thread 5alone.

WVe do not desire to limit ourselves to the precise details ofconstruction and arrange ment herein shown, as it is obvious that various modifications may be made therein without departing from theessential features of our invention.

l/Ve claim 1. In a thread-feeding device, the combination with a frame;of a thread-carrying channel-block, mounted to move on said frame; apair of shear-blades carried by said block; and, means arranged to openand close said blades in definite relation with the movement of saidblock, substantially as set forth.

2. In a thread-feeding device, the combination with a frame; of athread-carrying channel-block mounted to reciprocate on said frame; apair of shear-blades mounted on said block and arranged to open andclose in accordance with the movement of said block; thread-separatingmember mounted on said block; and, means arranged to actuate saidmember, substantially as set forth.

3. In a thread-feeding device, the combination with a frame; of athread-carrying block mounted to reciprocate on said frame; a pair ofshear-blades mounted on said block and arranged to open and close inaccordance with the movement of said block; a threadseparating membermounted to oscillate on said block; and, means arranged to oscillatesaid member from end to end of said block, substantially as set forth.

4. In a thread-feeding device, the combination with a frame; of atluead-carrying channel-block mounted to reciprocate on said frame; apair of shearblades mounted on said block and arranged to open and closein accordance with the movement of said block; a thread-separatingmember mounted to oscillate on said block; a pinion secured to saidmember at its axis; a sector pivoted to said block, in mesh with saidpinion; and, means to oscillate said sector, substantially as set forth.

5. In a thread-feeding device, the combination with a frame; of athread-carrying channel-block mounted to reciprocate on said frame; apair of shear-blades mounted on said block and arranged to open andclose in accordance with the movement of said block; atln'ead-separating member mounted to oscillate on said block; a pinionsecured to said member at its axis; a sector pivoted to said block, inmesh with said pinion; a reciprocatory rod arranged to oscillate saidsector a pin on said rod; and, a detent arranged to engage said pin,substantially as set forth.

6. In a thread-feeding device, the combination with a frame; of athreadearrying channel-block mounted to reciprocate on said frame; apair of shear-blades mounted on said block and arranged to open andclose in accordance with the movement of said block; a thread-separatingmember mounted to oscillate on said block; a pinion secured to saidmember at its axis; a sector pivoted to said block, in mesh with saidpinion; a reciprocatory rod arranged to oscillate said sector; a detentarranged to normally engage said rod; and, a spring arranged to shiftsaid rod and thereby oscillate said separating member when said detentis released, substantially as set forth.

7. In a threzul-changing device, the combination with a frame; of athrezul-carrying block mounted to reciprocate on said frame; a pair ofshear-blades mounted on said block and arranged to open and close inaccordance with the movement of said block; a threadseparating member;means to operate said member; and, a thrcad-take-in) device ar ranged tooperate in definite relation with the movement of said block,substantially as set forth.

8. In a thread-feeding device, arranged to continuously feed a mainthread and to intermittently feed a splicing-thread along with said mainthread; the combination with a frame; of a reci n'ocatorythread-carrying channel-block mounted in said frame, arranged toeffectthe clamping of said splicingthread between said block and saidframe; a thread-separating member arranged to separate said main threadfrom said splicingthread; a pair of shear-blades arranged to shear saidsplicing-thread; and, a threadtake-up lever arranged to move inaccordance with the movement of said channel block, substantially as setforth.

9. In a thread-feeding device, arranged to continuously feed a mainthread and to intermittently feed a splicing-thread along with said mainthread; the combination with a frame; of a channel-block arranged tomove in said frame; a thread-separating member arranged to separate saidmain thread from said splicing-thread; means arranged to actuate saidseparating member independently of the movement of said block; meansarranged to shear said splicing-thread; and, means arranged tointermittently take up said splicing-thread between said channe blockand the source of said thread, substantially as set forth.

10. In a threzu'l-feeding device, arranged to continuously feed a mainthread and to intermittently feeda splicing-thread along vwith said,main thread; the combination with a frame; of a reciprocatorythreadguiding block mounted in said frame; a thread-separating memberarranged to oscillate and separate said main thread'from saidsplicingthread; means arranged to actuate sald separating memberindependently of. the movement of said block; a pair of shear bladesarranged to sever said splicing-thread; and, means arranged toreciprocate said block and thereby clamp said splicing-thread andsimultaneously take up said -splicingthread, between its clamped portionand its source, substantially as set forth.

1 1. In a thread-feeding device, arranged to continuously feed a mainthread and to intermittently feed a splicing-thread along with said mainthread; the combination Witha frame; of a reciprocatory channel-block; apair of shear-blades arranged to sever said splicing-thread inaccordance with the move- 'ment of said channel-block; athread-separating member arranged to oscillate; means arranged. to.oscillate said member independently of the movement of saidchannel-block and, a thread-take-up lever arranged to oscillate inaccordance with the movement of said channel-block, substantially as setforth.

- v12. In a thread-feeding device, :thacombination with avframe; of athread-carrying channel-block mounted to reciprocate -on said'frame; alever attached to said;frame;- ;a sleeve attached to said lever;;a-rockshaft having a lever-arm arrangedwto reciprocate said sleeve; apair of-shear-bladespivoted to said block and arrangedtoQPGILSJIIdTGIOSQTIIL accordance With the movement-of said block athread-take-up lever pivoted to saidframe; a thread-separating platepivoted on: and-arranged tooscillate from end toendof said block; apinion secured tosaid separating plate at its axis; a sector pivoted tosaid block, in mesh with saidpinion ;.a rod mounte ed to slide Withinsaid sleeve and arranged'to oscillate said sector; .a spring tending toshift said rod; a pin extending from said rod; and, a detent arranged toengage saidpin'against the pressure of said spring, substantially as setforth.

In testimony whereof we havehereunto signed our names, atPhiladelphia,;Pennsylvania, this 26th day of April, 1904.

ELLIS .I. ONEILL. WILLIAM N. TAGGART. Witnesses:

JAMES BELL, ANNA F. GETZFREAD.

